American Art in a Global Context

An International Symposium

September 28–30, 2006

The field of American art has moved beyond the old paradigm of “what is American about American art?” It is looking anew at relationships, influences, and two-way exchanges with the rest of the world, both historic and contemporary. While lines of academic and modernist influence from Europe to the United States were traced in the field’s early days, Americanist art historians are now interested in wider encounters with diverse peoples. They are exploring many levels of culture and varieties of media as well as rapidly changing modes of international communication.

This symposium looked at American art in a global context—from circum-Atlantic migrations in the eighteenth century to European training and travel in the late nineteenth century; from the export of U.S. culture and media in the twentieth century to the impact of immigration and globalization on the nation’s visual arts in the new millennium.

The Terra Foundation for American Art supported this international dialogue in celebration of the museum's reopening July 1, 2006, after extensive renovations. The symposium highlighted the Foundation's five-year grant to the museum's distinguished fellowship program. The Terra Foundation is dedicated to fostering exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of the visual arts of the United States for national and international audiences. This symposium received federal support from the Smithsonian Latino Center as well as support for related events from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and the Goethe-Institut of Washington, D.C.

Contact Us

For symposium information, please email AmericanArtSymposium@si.edu or telephone Amelia Goerlitz at +1 (202) 633-8353. Faxes may be sent to +1 (202) 633-8372.

Credit

The Terra Foundation for American Art is supporting this international dialogue in celebration of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s opening on July 1, 2006, after extensive renovations. The symposium will also highlight the Foundation’s five-year grant to the museum’s distinguished fellowship program. The Terra Foundation for American Art is dedicated to fostering exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of the visual arts of the United States for national and international audiences. This symposium is also receiving federal support from the Smithsonian Latino Center as well as support for related events from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and the Goethe-Institut of Washington, D.C.